Weird Portland Wednesday: What's in a Carpet?

 

Carpet is simply, you know, carpet. We walk on it, sit on it, vacuum it, and play games on it. It's just there, under our feet. How often do we really pay attention to the carpet? Well, we in Portland pay great attention! We have the world famous Portland International Airport carpet.

The carpet featured geometric shapes on a teal background, representing the intersection of the north and south runways seen by air traffic controllers from the airport's tower at night. It was designed in 1987. Over time, the carpet gained a cult following. Multiple social media accounts were dedicated to it and more than 20,000 pictures were posted to its official Instagram hashtag, #pdxcarpet. Airport visitors often took pictures of their feet on the carpet.

Portland Monthly said about the carpet, "A tealy turquoise number with pops of red and lavender and a loose runway inspiration, the old carpet had the ’80s flavor of a Patrick Nagel painting or a disposable mouthwash cup. But to many, it meant home."

And we love our carpet so much, that we wear it. Socks, shoes, hats, leggings, ties, shirts, all have our carpet design. Coasters, playing cards, and t-shirts all sport the design.

When the Port of Portland decided to remove it in 2013 for something new, we were up in arms. The change finally started in 2015. That May, a roll of carpet with googly eyes served as the grand marshal for the Rose Festival’s Starlight Parade. 

As the carpet was removed, four local businesses took it off their hands and sold it to Portlanders in many different forms. Milwaukie’s Carpet Mill Outlet made 2'x3' floor mats to sell. Nagl Floor Covering made such items as luggage tags, coasters, alphabet letters, and die-cut state-of-Oregon shapes. Two Dogs in a Boat designed doormats, magazine racks, and sling-back chairs. City Liquidators created a $249 carpet-covered ottoman as well as one-foot “selfie squares." 

Interestingly, there is still some of the old carpet in Terminal A, but the new carpet is everywhere else in the 13 acre airport. The new carpet, still an unusual color and design for an airport, doesn't have the same feel for Portlanders yet. But it may still grow on us. 

PDX carpet. One more way we keep Portland Weird.
peace~~~